Fashion from 1949 to 1980: A video review of styles and trends

Take a little vacation into the past--below is a youtube peek into fashion history from 1949 to 1980:



It's a great way to sit back and take in 30 years of fashion styles, one year at a time.

The illustrations at top are from a French fashion magazine during this era, can you guess the year by watching this video?

(1963)

Spring 1967 Fashions: Butterick Patterns for Junior Styles

Vintage fashion scrapbooks are a gold mine of trends and ideas for inspiration.  They are also a great way to see how accessories were worn, hem lengths, hair and makeup.  For getting a good idea of fashion from a specific time period, they are perfect.

1960, Gloves by Crescendoe, Illustration by Grau

"(Have you seen Crescendoe "Leather gloves by Superb" fabulous)"

"Crescendoe's Caresse, Suddenly beautiful things happen to your hands"

"Miraculous, the flattery of leather tailored gloves in Caresse, Crescendoe's marvelous new matte-nylon! Won't shrink, pill, or loose its shape when washed.
Poco, $3.00, young button shortie
Fidelio, $3.50, Long and elegant"

Illustration by Grau

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Don't these seem perfect for fall weather?

Davidow Suit from the mid-1960's: A Closer Look

This Davidow suit I has been in my collection for awhile. The classic silhouette and rich texture make it as wearable today as it was when it was sold, probably in the mid-1960's when the longer jacket was popular. I thought it might be good to take a closer look, in part to show details used in this type of tailoring, and also to help identify a similiar suit if the label is missing.

When looking at a Davidow suit, one of the first aspects of the design is it's similar silhouette and texture to a Chanel. Davidow advertising and brochures mention this as well because they purchased those toile designs to use in their own company. For many women, while the Davidow label was expensive, it was much more affordable than the Chanel label.

Pockets, another Chanel inspired feature, are also influenced by military or safari styles in this jacket. The lower pocket with flap is actually a patch pocket with the flap attached, creating a more flattering look that is easier to use. The breast pockets are actually mock flaps and lay flat without a pocket under that flap.

The signature single layer collar Davidow had patented is not seen here, so the collar is conventional, having a facing to back the collar and lapels. These are soft and not tailored with heavy canvas, being more like a blouse in fit and weight. The front shows five textured gold metal buttons which is a departure from the covered buttons found on earlier jackets. Very narrow bound buttonholes are used.

The back view is smooth, with shoulder darts for fit across the back. The body is tapered at the waistline by the side panels that are set at the side body, under the arms. The collar fits flat and low around the center back, being cut on a curve to fit around the neckline.

Two piece sleeves have mock vents, secured with a single button. The shoulders are only lightly padded to retain a soft and natural silhouette. This jacket features the use of textured wool, much like Chanel during that time. This textile has aqua, turquoise, bronze and white yarns which appear to be heavy, but are actually very light weight. Both jacket and skirt are lined in aqua crepe.

This view shows the skirt waistband, with lining, hooks and eyes. There is a narrow waistband that is not crisp or heavily interfaced. The waistband fastens on the left side with a nylon zipper. Two hanging loops with the Davidow logo shown here, are sewn into the waistband at each side. The hem has been released, so it is hanging un-hemmed in these photos. The skirt lining is much shorter, perhaps taken up when hemlines grew shorter as the decade moved on into the 1970's.

This suit was sold by Bullock's Pasadena, probably at a trunk show where a model would have shown the suit to a customer, or the customer might have tried that one sample on. She would have waited for this custom made order to arrive back at the store. This location served clients not only in Pasadena, but also San Marino and all points east of there, since no department stores of this quality were located further east of Los Angeles. Customers from 40 and 50 miles away would have traveled to this store when there was a trunk show with new suits each season.

I have another article on Davidow, with examples of suits from the early 1960's HERE. I also posted an example of suits from 1944, HERE. In the 1944 suit illustration is is easy to see the signature looks that Davidow suits would be known for. It is also interesting to consider that Chanel did not start producing her suits until 1954, at a time when Davidow suits were already well known.

Davidow: early 1960's Couture Suits

Davidow suits from the early 1960s are vintage gems. While they have great diversity in cut and style, the quality of textile makes them standout among other suits from this era.

I wanted to share a copy of the Davidow brochure for Spring 1960. This issue shows what we might consider to be very conservative styling: simple jacket silhouettes and narrow skirts that hide the knees are the norm here. I have included the decriptions too as they contribute more detailed information.

These brochure pages show the Chanel style suits that Davidow was famous for producing. Made from imported wools, Davidow uses the "Chanel" name in many references and advertisements when describing their brand of suiting. A press review from a 1971 New York Couture press fashion show stated that "Davidow has been a leading practitioner of the "Art of Chanel", among them the famous Chanel sweater suits... Davidow is apt to set a new wave of Chanel. Those who loved her clothes should consider a Davidow for fall and winter. They were highly acclaimed by all of the fashion press."

My old scrap books from the first half of the 1960's include Davidow advertisements. Most are from I. Magnin's or Bullock's Wilshire promotions. When available, I have included the descriptions that give details for the fabric, size range and prices.

The caption for the set of suits on the left above states that they are "destined to be your through-summer delights...rounded collar suits in red, yellow, blue, toast and turquoise...convertible collar style in red, yellow, blue...sizes 10 to 20...$129.. from a collection of new Davidows".

In the first half of the 1960's, with prices that ranged from $129 up to $198, it's easy to see why these suits were considered 'couture'. Southern California stores that sold the Davidow label were leading department stores such as Bullock's Wilshire, I.Magnin, and others. The collections were offered each season at 'trunk shows' where a rack of sample suits were made available at a showing supervised by a company sales representative. Clients were able to see the samples, try them on, and then order a suit that would be made to measure for them.

Don't miss my follow-up post on Davidow HERE.

Ceil Chapman: 1960's Advertisement & Illustration

This advertisement for a Ceil Chapman cocktail dress comes from the first few years of the 1960's. It was pasted into an old undated scrapbook of newspaper fashion ads that appear to be early 60's.

The Ceil Chapman sheath presents several interesting features that when combined create a very figure flattering silhouette most women would love to wear. The wide neckline and extended shoulder line create a visual widening of the upper body which balances hiplines that are wider than the shoulders. It is also a great look for any figure with narrow shoulders.

The cross-draped waistline detail helps to create an impression of a slender waistline because it is narrowed down by those diagonal folds. This design technique also hides most waistline 'chubb' and torso folds. It also tends to visually shape a smaller waistline silhouette, even when the body is straight or plump.

It's interesting that this advertisement is probably from the designer's catalog, since it includes the style number and a back view (very basic and unadorned). The fabric is probably a lightweight silk, such as crepe or faille.

Such a simple dress, with so much to offer. No wonder this designer is considered a genius!

post script: Since publishing this post, it was suggested that the illustration is the cover for a Spadea sewing pattern #1257, designed by Ceil Chapman from about 1961. The cover information states: "A supple sheath with loose drapery softly crisscrossing the midsection and caught into the side seams above and below the waistline. The charming boat neck curves wide and away to a minimum of shoulder covering. Darts smoothly shape the zippered back, small pleats are release for ease in the skirt front."

Researching Lilly Pulitzer: Dating Vintage Fashion

When trying to date or locate resources for vintage fashion, seeking out originals of the same style from actual vintage documents can be difficult. One great resource for dating 20th century fashion are the many home sewing patterns published through out the century.

The photo of Lilly Pulitzer above shows her wearing a cotton long muu muu dress with matching cotton print 'babushka' head scarf. It is a style that shows up also in sewing pattern Simplicity 6445 from 1966. The original photo is dated about 1963, so we know that any dress will probably be withing this range, especially considering how home sewing patterns can stay in print for a few years. Lilly's own style tends to not fluctuate, so it is easily possible that 1966 is a good date for a dress with this style of sleeve.

This photo of Lilly jumping from a plane is great because we can clearly see how the banding on her shift is placed along the side slit with a bow at the top. The sewing pattern Simplicity 7091 from 1966 has this same side slit silhouette. Simplicity 5455 dates from 1964, so we can see that a side slit shift is a strong look during this era.

This is a Lilly catalog illustration without a date. The patterns shown above show similar silhouette shapes and handkerchief head scarfs that were often part of Lilly's ensembles. Sewing pattern Simplicity 7529 (1968) has this look.

With the popularity of caftans during most of the 1970's, we can find quite a few caftan sewing patterns. This by Simplicity 6390 (1974) is a great example of how closely Lilly's own caftans kept this classic style during this time. We can expect her caftans to have this same look.

Locating vintage patterns can be easy to do, with Pinterest, Etsy, and Google images showing many examples to choose from. The images here come from the online site: Wikipedia, -- http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com where you will find many pattern covers archived.

McCalls 7126: 1961 Sewing Pattern for Research & Inspiration

Dated 1961, this home sewing pattern by McCalls 7126 is a great example of sportswear in the early 1960s. This look was a bridge between 1950's silhouettes where an hourglass figure was important, to the loose "A" line and 'hip hugger' silhouette of the later 1960's.

There was a strong Asian design influence through out the 50's. Starting during the WWII era, this trend was influenced in part by American fashion designers Claire McCardell, Rudi Gernreich, Bonnie Cashin and others. Their work often shows very simple tunic styles over a slender trouser, as this sport set from 1961 shows. The feature here is a very flat tunic top design with classic front slit down to a 'yoke' seam line across the upper bust line. Hinting of a smock or peasant top, this was a popular look for both resort and sports wear.

Of additional interest are the fabric colors: blue and green. This combination was growing in popularity during this time influenced by bright tropical and Asian color schemes. Often these were seen in strong graphic and abstract floral patterns such as those from the popular Scandinavian design house Marimekko. A flat tunic top was the perfect shape to showcase these colorful and graphic textiles.

The schematic drafts of this ensemble show clearly how the back views appeared and how the patterns were designed. It is interesting to see that what appears to be a casual dress made by belting a longer version of the tunic, is actually a fitted skirt with the bulky tunic tucked into the waistline.

The bodice of the tunic is artfully fitted with a dart shaping that has been integrated into the horizontal mock yoke seam line. This would reduce extra underarm bulk and help the side seam to hang neatly.

This pattern design has potential today made up in solid linens, larger scale prints and graphics. The clean lines and simple shaping are perfect for our current silhouette trends, worn with slender pants or leggings.

Simplicity 6387: 1966 Sewing Pattern for Research & Inspiration

Vintage Sewing Pattern: Simplicity 6387, date: 1966, item: Dress and Coat, size: half-size pattern

This simple sewing pattern is the first in a series showing an historical or vintage commercial home sewing pattern envelope in detail. As part of an ongoing project of mine, I will be sharing pattern covers from my collection for research and design purposes. It is hoped that by posting these online, designers, collectors of vintage fashion, sewing patterns and periodicals may be able to use this information for dating apparel, photos and garments. The cover illustrations also provide examples of how this garment style would have been worn in its day, complete with accessories, makeup and hair style.

BACK INFORMATION

One-piece dress and coat in women's sizes and misses' and women's half-sizes:
Sleeveless dress with slightly lowered round neckline and back zipper has an A-line skirt. V.1 has self or purchased belt, Lined. V.2 has purchased belt, Lined coat with slightly lowered round neckline has below-elbow set-in sleeves. V.1 is top-stitched, V.2 has novelty braid trim.
Suggested fabric types--V.1 in cottons and blends: pique, linen, silks, synthetics and blends: brocades. V.1 coat also in lightweight wools and blends. V.2 dress and coat coat in lace, eyelet and sheers only.

DETAIL PHOTOS

This pattern is available for purchase in my shop: PintuckSew on Etsy